knitwise

Decision, decision....

The right front of Chicago is almost finished and the end is near: stitches to pick up for neckband, sewing up and little flowers to add. I love it when I cast on, but also love it when I am about to cast off!... It means I allow myself to think of the next big project to cast on, what yarn and what shade to choose... It is still Summer and the new Rowan book is due out on 1st August. Kim Hargreaves has also two collections to release, one in August and one in September. We are going to be spoiled this year!

I don't want to cast on something that can take ages (i.e 4ply) because come August I know I will be severely tempted by some new patterns... On the other end, I don't want a project too small, because there is still over one month to go... This is Knitter's agony!... Well, not really...  I have got one or two new projects in mind, I hope that by the time I knit all those flowers, I will have made up my mind.

Have a nice week!

Felt Ballet Slippers

My daughter has got the slippers she wanted and she is pleased with them... The picture does not show the true colour of the wool which is a darker, deeper shade of blue ("Azure", I believe). Once again I have really enjoyed making these slippers. They are the perfect project to give you a break from the wips.

I think I will build up a stash of Cascade 220 wool in various colours to make more ballet slippers when I feel like a quick FO.

Now, I am going to read my first Miss Silver mystery...  I have discovered her through a discussion thread on Ravelry and was intrigued enough to order a couple of Patricia Wentworth's books on Amazon. I very much like the idea of a Knitting Detective...

Cool or what?...

Chicago #2 is growing nicely, the back is finished and I started the left front. I decided to knit the buttonband at the same time instead of picking up the stitches later and it looks okay.

I am quite pleased with my progress considering that the children were on holiday this week and normally I wouldn't do much knitting when I have a house full... I must say that the semi-finals of "Britain 's got talent" all through the week helped the needles clicking away...

Remember those slippers I made last year?  I hadn't worn them till very recently and my teenage daughter saw them, liked them and wants ME to knit her a pair!... You must forgive me but I am still recovering from the shock. I thought that I wasn't cool (you know, being a parent and all that...) and now, my daughter wants me to MAKE her something!!!  I think this is the best compliment I will ever get....

Butterfly knitting bag

Today was a glorious day here and ideal to take pictures of my latest design: the Butterfly knitting bag.

The lining is made with an Amy Butler fabric and has an internal pocket big enough for small scissors, tape measure, etc... The outer bag is made with a linen mix fabric, the flowers are knitted and the flying butterfly is felt.

I have made a few of these and they are for sale here .

Once the pictures done,  I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon with Chicago #2.  I have finished the two sleeves and have started the back.

I love the frill even if it means casting on 300+ stitches. I think it is worth the effort. I have made the ribs shorter this time.  Did I mention before that Calmer is one of my favourite yarns???

Rain is a knitter's best friend...

Nothing is better than rain to give you the perfect excuse for taking up knitting for the day and browsing through the new Summer knitting patterns...

I have decided to knit again an old favourite of mine: Chicago from Rowan 37. I had bought some Calmer last year in a very "springy" shade: Kiwi. This time, I will not add the beads... I will keep the frill at the bottom and the flowers, although I think I will make them all in the same colour as the cardigan.  I believe Suzi is knitting it too and in the same colour!...

I am starting with a sleeve as usual and since this photo was taken, I have finished the increase stage... (Second, after the rain, comes the Grand Prix...) Starting like this gives me a chance to think of certain modifications I will make to the main body. I might make the ribs shorter and knit the buttonhole band at the same time instead of picking up stitches (which I hate with a capital H...).

I had a look too at the new Kim Hargreaves Nectar Summer book. I love it!... I am glad because one of her previous kits' pattern is in there: Harmony. I have been admiring this pattern for a long time but never managed to get the kit. I think this one is going to be added to my list of waiting projects... with many others from the same collection....

Wight Yarns

Today is very special to me....

Wight Yarns, our online knitting shop, is opening its doors today and you are all invited to come and browse...

At the present time, we are concentrating in eventually stocking the whole range of Rowan Yarns. Once this is achieved, we will be adding other names. We have many other exciting ideas for our shop which we will reveal as they come to life.

I hope you will find our site pleasant to look at and easy to navigate. I would be glad to know what you think of it.

Enjoy your visit, and if you like it, spread the word... 

Wishing for more time...

I had hoped to announce the opening of our on-line shop with this post, but it seems I will have to wait a little longer...  Our website is almost ready and now needs checking.  As soon as the ordered stock arrives,  we will be able to "open".

I hope you had a nice Easter break. I have heard that many had a lot of snow but here, on the Isle of Wight, it was just cold and quite miserable...

Because of the building of our shop's website and extra hours to cover illness at work, these last four weeks have gone at incredible speed. My poor knitting has been seriously neglected and, once again, I have nothing to show!...  I stole some time though to read your blogs and I am itching to start knitting again after seeing all your new projects!   A shawl would be perfect for this time of year. I have got the yarn and the pattern. Now I need the time...

A new venture...

I am afraid that I have NO knitting to report!...

The first week was the children school holidays which, as usual, do not permit much leisure time.

The following week  my brother and his wife came to visit from France for a week and time was spent catching up on all the news from home and shopping till they dropped.

This week my sister-in-law and I are working flat out to put the final touches to a new venture:  an on-line yarn shop!  This big project has been on our minds for a while and we have decided to take the plunge and have a go. This is a huge project for us, exciting and frightening at the same time. Between making our first big order, building the website, making phone calls, taking notes of all the details and carrying on with work and family day to day needs, life has become quite manic....

I do apologise if I have not visited as many blogs as usual and took some time to answer your e-mails. I should think that we will be ready to "open" in a couple of weeks, maybe less. I will let you know when the time comes. In the meantime, I am still visiting your blogs, keeping up with your news and admiring your creations even if I don't always find the energy to leave a comment. When I have more free time, I will catch up. It is a promise!...

A touch of Spring in the air...

Spring is in the air... these last few days anyway, and it is so good to see the sun again. It won't last of course, it never does. It is still February after all, but it is nice to pretend for a little while and browse through the new patterns...

I am quite looking forward to get my hands on the new Rowan magazine. I have seen the previews and liked what I saw so far. I am not really impressed by the Weekender section but the rest is worth a closer look.

I have finished Charlotte first front and I think the neckline will be okay (remember that I don't have the pattern so everything is guess work...). I don't think it will look quite the same but I am working hard at getting a similar look.

Finally, I have bought this beautiful Lane Borgosesia lace weight wool to make a little something from Victorian Lace Today. But more about it later when I come to it... (My fingers are itching though...)

My version of Charlotte is growing slowly but surely... I have passed the armholes decreases which is always a good sign until you remember that there is still some way to go... Now that I am familiar with the pattern and worked out how to decrease within lace stitches, I am eager to attack the fronts. No picture at this stage as I haven't had time to take a decent one in day light but I'll post one when I start the front. Hopefully, I'll be able to capture the real shade of the yarn...

I have managed to write down the patterns for my fingerless gloves featured here and here. If you are interested I would gladly share them with you, but first I need to convert them into pdf documents. So if someone out there can help me with this, it would be really great and I would be able to put them in my "Free patterns" link...

Have a lovely week-end!

PS : I have found a way to convert my word doc to pdf and have added my patterns to the free patterns link!...