FO: Another POP! Cardigan

I seem to be having a phase of knitting the same patterns over and over again. It probably says something about where we are at the moment, but I'm too tired to think about it.

I've finished my second Pop! Baby Cardigan by Rachel Atkinson. If it's possible, I enjoyed knitting it even more the second time around. It basically flew off my needles. I used a skein of Skein Queen Blissful Plump that I bought at Unravel, in a lovely shade of denim blue. Do I get extra points for using up yarn promptly?

I used some adorable elephant buttons from Textile Garden - also picked up at Unravel. I do love the Textile Garden selection of fun buttons!

Generally I don't knit the same pattern more than once, so I think you can tell that I've enjoyed knitting POP! I'm sure I'll knit another POP! soon, but I've actually got a different kids' cardigan on the needles right now. I'll show you that next week...

FO: Another pair of Daves

Apologies for the radio silence... Work got busy and home has been busy too. There simply aren't enough hours in the day sometimes! Anyway, I figured it was better to knit and have something to blog about when my time was less limited, than to try to write, but have no material!

Here are the next pair of Daves:

This is a pair of Dave socks, from Rachel Coopey's latest book, Coop Knits Socks volume 2. I've made them from a lovely skein of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight, which Rachel gifted to me a while back. They are the most incredible shade of zingy lime green, with shots of blue, teal and purple. I may never take them off.

This truly may well be the year of the Daves... I already have yarn wound ready for the next pair! This time it's some beautiful Lorna's Laces that another friend gave me for Christmas last year.

There's something about the gentle simplicity of Daves - the perfect soothing project. Thanks Rachel!

FO: A Quilt

I started this quilt at a quilting weekend back in July last year. It then languished in my sewing bag for months, waiting to be quilted. I finally got around to quilting it on a dedicated quilting day in October. And yet again, it languished, needing only the binding to be slipstitched, for months!

The quilt is made from 64 blocks, so it's a really good size! I added a filet around the edge, and decided against adding anything in the way of a border - it seemed like the quilt needed to be kept simple! I quilted a foot width out of the ditch, in long lines, just inside each block. Again, keeping it simple. I'm not great at any other type of quilting!

Last week I finally pulled it out of the sewing bag, and set to work on the binding. It didn't take long to finish it off! These things never do - WHEN YOU ACTUALLY WORK ON THEM!!!! Ha! Why do I never learn this lesson?!

Many thanks again to Mélanie for the lovely charm pack and fat quarters. They've made a great quilt, which will be loved for many years to come. :)

WIP: Everybody needs a Dave

I believe that I've written a few times about how much I love knitting plain socks. They are the perfect portable project, and don't require too much concentration when you're low on energy. Rachel Coopey's new book, CoopKnits Socks Volume 2 contains a plain sock pattern called Dave. I love the name Dave. One day I'd like to have a cat called Dave!

I'm really enjoying my second pair of Dave socks. They have a lovely deep ribbed cuff, and a slipstitch heel flap. I'm using a skein of Socks that Rock Lightweight in a great zingy lime green, with flashes of teal and purple. It's a mill ends skein and there are a couple of broken sections - perfect for contrast toes on another sock perhaps...

I'm trying hard to maintain my monogamy on this project, but another POP! Cardigan is biting hard on its heels as I need to have it done before a week on Friday. There's probably time to finish the socks first, but the little voice in my head would like to get going on the cardigan just in case!

Unravel 2015 round up

We had a day out on Saturday. I took eldest to a yarn show for the first time, and the great news is that it was a big hit! I've been to Unravel three times now, and it's been great every year.

I was pretty restrained in purchasing terms. My main splurge was at the Textile Garden stand. You've already seen the red rockets and the blue buttons I've used on my recent cardigans, but I also picked up a few more sets for the button tin.

              

Birds! Octopuses! Elephants! Owls! You can click on the pictures above to get a larger version. And if you're feeling button inspired, then head over to Textile Garden for hours of candy store fun!

I limited myself to one skein of yarn, which was some pretty Skein Queen Blissful Plump in a denim-y shade of blue. This is going to be knitted up pretty quickly, as it's planned for another POP! cardigan, probably teamed with the blue owl buttons above. I also couldn't resist another tin of stitch markers from Fripperies and Bibelots. I think I've bought a tin each year I've been to Unravel. They are my preferred stitch markers, but I have a habit of gradually losing them.

As ever, I almost completely forgot to take pictures of the show itself. I always get too caught up in enjoying the moment (probably no bad thing)! But I did manage one picture of Rachel and her gorgeous CoopKnits stand, with the new Sock Book (more on that another time...).

Of course going to a yarn show isn't just about the purchases... It's mostly about catching up with friends! As well as the many lovely stall holders that we chatted to (far too many wonderful friends to list - just check out the vendor list online!!), I was delighted to finally meet Anna Maltz (aka SweaterSpotter) - keep your eyes peeled for her GORGEOUS new collection! And I was also lucky enough to kidnap the wonderful Bristol Ivy and talked the hind legs of a donkey off her over lunch. Then to top it all off, we had dinner with Rachel, Nez, Felix and my publishing comrade Nic! By the end of the day my inspiration levels were sky high, and I was itching to get my needles and my editing pen going again. Luckily we didn't leave too late and eldest slept all the way home. Hurrah! Now to plan the next show... Possibly Ally Pally if we have the stamina!