Waves of Gray November 3, 2011

Waves of Aqua?

Since seeing the lovely Waves of Gray pattern that our good lady yarnwhore Miko has made as a free Ravelry download, I wanted to try it.  I had about 2 balls of yarn left over from when I first picked up my hooks again and made a long scarf for Cardiff Marky and with these horrid nights drawing in, it was the perfect opportunity to get hooking again!

It’s such a simple pattern, really easy to follow as Miko has written great instructions and it took about 2.5 hours in total…happily spent in front of the telly watching it grow very quickly.  I think I made a couple of mistakes but the pattern is very forgiving and I don’t think they show too much! I had 2 colours of yarn so made a lighter stripe in the middle – not very clear in this picture I know.

I’ll eventually make a little felted/knitted/crocheted flower or something to make into a brooch to secure it but in the meantime, I love the way it looks just tucked in.  With the turning corners, you could also add a chunky button to secure it if you felt that way inclined.

It’s the second wrap/short scarf I’ve completed in the last couple of weeks and they’ve been great, fast projects to get me back into the swing of things, eager to get cracking on the next one!

 

New Twist Collective is up! August 3, 2011

And jolly nice it looks too. Loving the colourwork and cables in particular.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you – there are some seriously tempting patterns!

Hot Little Hands – mittens and pattern July 9, 2011

I’ve got a free pattern up on my blog for these simple fingerless mittens, called Hot Little Hands. They’re super-cosy! I’m looking forward to wearing the long-length version in the winter and avoiding an unpleasant chill up my sleeves.

 

Wow – free 50s dress pattern from the V&A June 23, 2011

A friend just sent me a link to this amazing free pattern for a 50s style sundress from the V&A. It’s enough to motivate me to get the sewing machine Soph sold me sorted out and get learning!

Attention sewing whores! May 4, 2011

Oooh this looks nice – the sewing equivalent of Loop in Islington perhaps? (and don’t say overpriced and full of yummy mummies…)

Sew Over It

78 Landor Road
Clapham North
London
SW9 9PH

The blurb:

“Welcome to Sew Over It!

Our spanking new studio and shop will be open from May 4th. There will be lots of fun and funky sewing classes to choose from. From dressmaking to accessories to soft furnishings. To browse our classes, click here.

Tea and cake have always played an important role in our sewing projects so we have married the two and created a sewing café where you can work on your projects whilst munching on some cake and drinking tea! To find out more about the sewing café click here.

Got a birthday coming up? Why not have a sewing party! We have lots of fab ideas for children like Alien Monsters, Customising t-shirts, bags and aprons. Or make us part of your hen weekend and sew some gorgeous fabric jewellery or glamorous  knickers! For more info, click here.”

Stashbusting yarnbombing May 3, 2011

Don’t you hate potholes when you are on your bike? And don’t you often wonder what to do with all those leftover bits of yarn? Well now you can solve 2 problems at once: why not try yarnbombing your streets by filling in those annoying potholes with braided yarn like this:

It’s what artist Juliana Santacruz Herrera has been doing in Paris, and I reckon it’s time it made an appearance on this side of the pond. On Lyham Road, right by my house actually. That would be nice.

Clickeh here for more pics and info.

The incredibly simple but stunning Sequoia Shrug February 7, 2011

Whilst making this shrug, I did wonder if I would ever finish it as it is so big and really quite boring to make.  However, the yarn is beautifully soft and the variegation of the yarn is really lovely so it was quite exciting to think of all the things I could wear it with.

The shrug is basically a huge rectangle, made up in single crochet worked in the back loops, (double for our US residents). Then it’s folded in half along the cast on edge and seamed half way up to create armholes.  It is the simplest pattern I have ever come across!

I don’t think I’ve ever completed an item of clothing with either knit or crochet so as I got towards the end, the excitement rose.  It took a little while to work out which way I needed to sew up the seams under the arm holes but once I had that licked, I was ready to go.  And that was it.  Done and dusted and so lovely to wear…warm, snuggly, comfortable – quite possibly the perfect garment!

I know a few Yarn Whores who wanted to give this one a go so here are the details;

The pattern is from Lionbrand, called Sequoia Shrug The yarn is a Sirdar Connemara Tweed Effect Chunky in Heartland and it took 7 x 50g balls.

Haha, spot the difference between the pro photo taken by the amazing Emma Gutteridge and the one taken by the 10 year old!

I want your bits (of yarn, that is) January 18, 2011

Calling all fellow crafters: I am working towards a long-term project to make a Pebble Rug like this, and I need little bits of neutral coloured 100% wool yarn. They can be as little as 12 metres to make the small pebbles. So if you are working on anything over the next 6 months or if you have oddments of felt-friendly wool yarn lurking in the bottom of your stash, please let me know as I will gladly relieve you of them and happily offer something nice in exchange.

I am also seeking handbag straps, so if your favourite handbag has worn out and is not even fit for the charity shop, I would love to have the straps.

Thanks in advance!

New Knitty is here! January 16, 2011

Attention Yarn Whores! The new Knitty is up, bursting with ace free patterns.

I particularly fancy the Chrysanthemum and Shetlander mittens.  Any inspiring you? Or have you seen any other patterns lately that are making your needles itch?

 

Miko’s Christmas crafting continued January 11, 2011

Today I finally managed to get my other 2 projects from the Christmas holidays onto my blog and Ravelry… and I just had to post here too because there’s a history behind one of the projects that my fellow Yarn Whores may recall…

For those lovely ladies who went to Bovey Tracy, you may recall that I was swearing quite a lot, and shouting *$^£*ing DORIS!! every 15 minutes or so. Well you will be pleased to know that I have made my peace (and piece) with Doris now, and I managed to make that @*%£ing bolero that I was struggling with in Devon.

It took me a while to get the hang of Doris’s unique approach to patterns, but once I figured it out, the project was easy and FAST – I made this bolero in maybe 7 hours all in. Awesome! I can now recommend Doris and her book, if you can deal with the initial confusing bit. Or maybe I am just a bit thick and it’s actually not very confusing at all….

The other project is my yarn tribute to the American national anthem: my not-so-amber Waves of Gray n-eckwarmer. It’s a quick little stashbuster that uses only 347 yards of yarn, so can be made with leftovers from a larger project. It is my ex-pat patriotic yearning that made me create this… not really silly, I just thought the name was fitting. Anyway, you can get the pattern from Ravelry or from my blog if you have a cold neck and a penchant for North American patriotic songs.