Christmas is a coming...

...and the window at Marmalade Yarns was due it's festive makeover!  We had a sociable gathering last week to finish the snowmen and give them all their own personalities! I made a couple of strings of crocheted snowflake bunting, which will also be used in our Christmas Crochet class on Saturday 6th December. Maxine did the shopping for the tasteful (mostly!) accessories, and then put it all together today.

I rather liked the bunting on my own mantle pieces so I might need to make some more for me and also for the Christmas fair this weekend - do come if you're in the Frome area!

This week..

.. I finished my socks, I chose the yarn to make hubby some socks for Christmas, I finished the linocut, I experimented with hand colouring it, I crocheted some snowflakes in preparation for a Christmas crochet class and I redecorated the bathroom! Strangely, the ironing remains untouched!

Lino printing

My studio is a tip. I keep finding images of beautiful workspaces on Pinterest and vow to keep my little space tidy but it just isn't happening! However, I had to ignore the mess today and just get on with doing a test print of a Lino I finished cutting ages ago. This is a commission to make a print of someone's house and it's larger than the linoprints I normally do.

I used to moan about not having enough space to print - now I have the space, but seem to have filled it with just as much clutter as everywhere else in the house. Still, I managed to do a rough print just to see if I needed to cut away any more of the block. Overall I'm quite pleased with the outcome - just a bit of fiddling with it before I do the proper print.

I also need to get cracking with paintings and crocheted bunting for the Christmas Craft Fair which is coming up in a few short weeks (why does this always take me by surprise?) but that hasn't stopped me from casting on a couple of knitting projects! The first is a pair of socks in some beautiful stripy yarn which was a birthday present. It was the perfect project for the flight to and from Rome. Secondly, I'm mixing a lace weight yarn with some kidsilk haze to make a soft and fluffy scarf/ stole thing. 

Rome was wonderful - we had glorious weather, delicious food, fun with friends and cuddles with gorgeous babies! I also got to see the Sistine Chapel for the first time - it was breathtaking. 

Now it's back to reality and time to tidy up!

Citron Shawl

I've finished another shawl and am determined not to cast on another until I've completed a pile of unfinished projects first! This time I made Citron, a free pattern on Ravelry. The yarn was a lace weight ombré alpaca and silk mix and I didn't want to detract from its gorgeous colour change with too much pattern. The Citron is a lovely knit with easily created ruffles. I made an extra section to use up as much of the skein as possible.

I did knit a chunky little number over the weekend in Debbie Bliss Paloma but it felt like knitting with broomsticks after all those hours knitting with lace weight yarn!

My shawl and top are being modelled by my new sewing buddy! My youngest has forbidden me to give her a name as he says she's creepy enough without one but I think she might secretly be a Maud! I have also invested in a new sewing machine - my old one is now 32 years old and deserves a quiet retirement!

Trouble-free sewing here I come!

Baby knits

Hubby and I are off to Rome in October to visit our friends and their twin baby girls. It would be rude to turn up empty handed so I had the perfect excuse to knit up a couple of little stripy cardigans in gorgeous Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. I decided not to go with an obviously girly pink colour way   going instead for one in yellow and one in green. I used the same silvery grey for the contrast in both  and it's interesting how different it looks against each colour.

I had a small amount of yarn leftover so I used it in the border of a hat and did the main part in a Sirdar Snuggly Crofter yarn to add a bit of pattern.

I haven't sewn any buttons onto the cardigans yet as I haven't decided which to use but I'm currently liking these little pink flowery ones (well I've got to get a bit of pink in there somewhere!).

I think I have a problem...

...just how many shawls is it reasonable to make? I can't seem to stop casting them on, they're my absolute favourite thing to knit at the moment. I have just finished the Pebble Beach Shawlette by Helen Stewart. When it came off the needles it looked like a misshapen dishcloth but some strenuous blocking has revealed a lovely, lacy little wrap. I really like the way the front hangs down. This isn't a colour I would normally choose but it was part of the generous bag of yarn from a fellow yarnaholic and I'm actually quite drawn to the Limey yellow and how it contrasts with the grey.

This is a delightful pattern, well written and very clearly laid out. I want to cast another one on straight away but I already have a lace weight shawl on the go and I feel I should branch out to more useful things - things with sleeves, for example! I did finish the little bolero (with very tiny sleeves!) which has proved very useful as the Summer comes to a close.

I have done very little art of late but now that sons 1 and 2 have finally gone to university (for years 3 and 1 respectively) I feel like I have more mental and physical space to change this. Knitting and crochet are easy to do when chaos is all around you, it soothes the mind, but to do any art I really need peace and calm. A houseful of large and hairy young men is not really conducive to this! I hear a lot about empty nest syndrome where mothers are saddened by the quietness of their lives once their children have left home - I have to say that I have yet to feel anything but relief (that the fridge stays full, the bedrooms tidy and the washing machine is no longer on at least once a day!)

Summer projects...

I seem to have taken an unplanned blogging break during the Summer holidays - the house is full of teenage boys and associated ephemera and my crafting room has been reclaimed as a bedroom by son  no. 1! I have, however, managed to squeeze in a few projects and have planned many more!

Firstly I made  a Kate Davies Northmavine Hap. I used some sock yarn that was kindly gifted to me by a friend who was having a clear out! Instead of using 5 colours as in the pattern, I used just 3 but as two of them were variegated I felt that would give enough variety. I love the undulating ripples and shape of this pattern and the colour way reminds me of damsons and plums.

I still have a crocheted cowl to finish and am one sleeve short of a little cotton bolero..

Whilst spending a few glorious days in Lyme Regis with hubby (and no children!) I picked up some coloured twine which I plan to make a basket with, and I also have a pattern picked to turn the beautiful ombré yarn (part of the de stashing bounty!) into yet another shawl. I also have a Lino block ready to cut but really need to tidy the studio before I can start. 

I need more hours in the day, or maybe just more domesticated boys!