New Year, New Stuff!

So Christmas came and went, and was virtually hassle free, I had some lovely gifts..notably Norah Gaughan-Knitting Nature (which has been on my wish list for a long time) and Inspired to Knit aswell although they both inspire me to keep working at it. My bestest pressie has to be the complete DVD set of the Buffy The Vampire series, I just need to find the time to watch them all the way from the beginning!

The frogged Sweater of Doom is back to where it was and a little more since frogging, and I've been doing a little dyeing. After the experience with the merino/cashmere/silk/angora that Rosie gifted to me, I decided it was time to branch out a little and try some different fibres in my etsy shop. 1st up is Swamp Thing, a blend of merino/cashmere/silk....I listed it earlier (sorry it was snapped up!)

This second one is a blend of 50% merino/50% angora, it's soooooo soft and it's called Beautiful Stranger, over in my etsy shop now!

It's Christmassssss!!!!!!

So Christmas is here....this is the only Christmas knitting I did to use up the second half of the ball left in my stash.

On the needles.... still working on my college sweater design project, slow progress and after completing 37 rows I dropped a drop stitch only to find it ran into the garter stitch border, so had to rip it out and start again! gahhh! Have a handspun scarf on the needles, I really hope this is a keeper not a frogger!

And I feel a case of startitus coming on, as I've been spinning some bulky merino/silk to test knit a scarf for a friend on Ravelry, I never have more than two projects on the go usually.

So there we have it....just want to Wish You All a Very Merry Christmas!

see you on the other side!

New Yarns!

First up I have a green BFL supercoil! The last supercoils I spun was only 15 metres, so this time I spun the single much thinner, to ensure I had a bit more yardage!

Next up is the merino/cashmere/silk/angora that was gifted to me by Rosie in the first UK Swap! I'm really pleased how this has turned out, although I would have liked to spin it finer. I do think it might even be whispering cowl to me, but we'll see how it swatches!

Warming Your Hands!

This weeks UK Swap inspirational post is about warming your hands.

I have knitted gloves and handwarmers, and even knitted and frogged some bulky mittens in a handspun yarn. But so far colourwork has eluded me, mainly because I have favourite patterns but haven't really found the right combination of yarns.

What is your favourite Winter Warmer for your hands?
I like gloves, mittens, and handwarmers equally, there is room for them all in my Winter wardrobe!

Do you have a favourite pattern or FO?
I have several that the keen eyed will have spotted in my Rav favourites,recent additions are the Fresco Fair Isle Mitts, and the Snowflake Fingerless Mitts, although I'm also quite partial to the Squirrelly Swedish Mitts too, among others!

What is your favourite yarn for gloves, mittens or handwarmers?
A yarn suitable for its purpose, obviously some of the semi solid and solid sock yarns are ideal for colourwork because they are so hardwearing.

Are there any patterns out there you would love to own?
I think I have most of the ones I like, or they are free downloads. Actually there is the Fiddlehead mittens....I don't own this....if I had found the right yarn, maybe I would have bought it!

Or do you already have a winter warmer and you would like some mittens/gloves/handwarmers to match?
Nothing finished I want to match with at the moment!

Live Earth - Short Film - Don´t Let It All Unravel

This is ACE!

UK Swaps Round 3

Have signed up for round 3 of the UK Swap:

Kit Swap

What kind of kit are you interested in receiving? Hat, gloves, mittens, scarf, handwarmers, cowl, or socks.

Are you interested in any particular techniques? Cables, fair isle, hmmmm, I've always fancied having a go at thrummed mittens.

Do you knit, crochet, or both? I knit, I can do some crochet stitches, never really managed to follow a crochet pattern.

What is your favourite colour? Purple, Blue, Lime, Charcoal

What is your least favourite colour? Pink and Orange

What’s your style? (elegant, traditional, glamourous, girly, natural, sporty, outgoing, etc.) Sort of thrown together boho scruff.

Do you have a favourite type of fibre or brand of yarn? Anything soft, pure wool, wool blends, noro, habu.

Do you have a least favourite type of yarn? eyelash acrylic.

Do you do any other crafts? I spin a bit, dabble with dyes, and sew!

Are there any knitting accessories you are interested in receiving? I don't have any bamboo double points in 2.50mm.

What do you like to eat? Gummi bears, strawberry creams, orange creams, peppermint creams, I don't like dark chocolate, but don't mind it wrapped around a flavour.

Any allergies/preferences (fiber-wise or treat-wise)? I don't like nuts, apart from toblerone or belgian seashells!

Anything we missed that you’d like your partner to know? Anything else you need to know about me, just ask!