There is still about a week left to enjoy. That should be about long enough for me to tackle the great laundry mountain that has grown while I have been doing other (prettier) things.
..This is a "Kiri" shawl. I have added beads, which are not in the original pattern. I got them from http://www.beadgarden.co.uk/ they are Grey ab Miyuki triangle beads.
I am knitting it on straight needles until I dig out my 3.75 Circulars, I know I have some somewhere. I am knitting it in Rowanspun "Sugar", which is very thin and almost rough feeling but very pretty.
Yesterday I went to the wool shop Army & Navy in Camberley with my mum and grabbed a bargain that I am thrilled with. I bought 21 balls of Jaeger Matchmaker Merino DK (10 pink, 4 green, 4 charcoal, 2 purple & 1 blue) for £1.50 a ball. Plus, I got Rowan's AM to PM book for the regular price of £6.95.
There are a few designs in there that I love and will definately make. I particularly like the "Meg" shrug, which is the reason I am so pleased with my bargain. It requires 13 balls of Rowan Baby Alpaca, which is about £5.95 a ball. That means that it would £77 to make! So, I am substituting the Matchmaker Merino and I reckon I will have enough left over from what I bought for a sweater. £31.50 for a shrug and a sweater, not bad. Its crochet with knitted cuffs. Here is what I have done so far...
Looks just like granny's old blanket doesn't it! Trust me, it will be beautiful when the ends are trimmed and its all put together. You can see what it will look like here if you scroll down.The other great thing about this time of year is that you have a valid reason to wear more of what you have knitted. I took the Luna Moth Shawl on an outing to my mother-in-laws the other day. I haven't got a picture of it after blocking, but here it is being blocked.
Used 3 balls of Rowan Baby Alpaca in "Zinc". I don't normally spend £5.95 on a ball of yarn, but this stuff is really soft and as I only needed 3 I thought I would treat myself. I usually limit myself to less than £4 per ball, usually only around £2. I NEVER buy acrylic though, no matter how cheap it is.I did a bit of spindle spinning but didn't take any pics. I used the spindle because my Ashford Traveller wheel needs fixing again because the foot pedal has detached itself and my Traditional is stuck behind a load of books that were cleared off the shelves in the conservatory because of a leak.
It rains a lot here and, because of the bad weather we have not really ventured out much for the last week or two. That has left plenty of time for making stuff. More about that later...
