Postal Deliveries!

The post man is my friend. Yes? Let's hope so as I posted something off from my shop the other day. I always worry that it is going to arrive okay!

Well I do love my post lady who comes to my little flat. She always leaves my packages when they won't fit through the mail slot, so in my mind that makes her my best friend!

Today, she dropped off a book I ordered. Oh yes, did I mention that I am not buying anything for the next little while? Well I bought a book.

It's Lene Holme Samsoe's Essentially Feminine Knits. And it was Essential - see, its right there in the title... The images on Ravelry aren't complete, but the Amanda cable cardigan I blogged about the other day is in this book, so I thought, "What the hell..."

And today, to abate my sickness this book has arrived. And one picture that is not on Ravelry that I just fell in love with is this one:

I don't know how crazy I am about the hood, but the rest of it is amazing! I could modify the hood into a cowl neck or something maybe! Or, use the stitch pattern for the front of an open cardigan?  First, I must finish the Cobalt, use up some of my ridiculous stash, and make some christmas goodies. And only then I can consider my next jumper!

and then i'm going to....

Last year my cousin bought me some knitting magazines and a needle case for Christmas. It was my first knitting related present, and I was thrilled. The magazines were full of clothes and ideas, and I had a place to store all those circular and dpns I suddenly seemed to have collected - awesome! 


And my other cousin, the other family knitter, warned me, "Once you make some clothes, you won't stop."


Pish pash, I hadn't stopped anyway! But clothes are an investment, of time and supplies. My piles upon piles of single colour skeins of wool are no longer relevant? How can this be? 


(I MUST KNIT FASTER). 


Enter my O W L S sweater. Yes, okay, that is nice to wear and it's super cosy. But now I'm working on my Aidez, and I can see the end of my Aidez cardigan in sight. Woot! Can't wait to wear it. 


So what did I do today? Order MORE YARN for a new cardigan?! What? Someone needs to restrict me from these things! Oh wait, that's what the boyfriend tries to do.... oops?


Anyway, here is what I plan on making next - but in burgandy!!!

Its a Kim Hargreaves design, called Cobalt.  I already bought the book (Indigo) when I saw it used already on Amazon so am excited to make this! 


After my other one is done, of course?

Designing Woman

Sometimes, when its quiet at work and I'm doing mindless clean up of things I have left for too long (hello spreadsheets) my mind wanders into the land of Knit and Purl. 


What if I did this. 


What if I did that. 


So the other day I didn't have much to do at lunch and lunch happened just after one of these mindless sessions on Excel. While I've been working on my Aidez I have fallen in love with the diamonds on the back. So: 


What if I put these diamonds on the back of little fingerless mittens?! Hmmm...


I did a doodle then went to heat up my food. 


Yesterday Mr. Boyfriend was out with his friends, so I had the WHOLE evening to myself. I left work super early (thanks to a cold Mr. Boyfriend had given me earlier in the week, and a trip to Manchester with work that left me with too much overtime saved up). 


So me. And my lonely sofa. And a ball of this clay beige Debbie Bliss Cash-soft. mmm... 




This is the somewhat finished product: 

I think I'm getting pretty quick at this knitting malarky! Finished both today. 

Not 100% happy with the outcome. They fit and are comfy and interesting to look at, but will do another pair changing things. Like thicker ribbing, maybe copy the Aidez further and do a double moss in the centre. 

And then have a think about publishing the pattern to share with everyone! If you want to knit a pair of mittens with double moss diamonds on the back let me know. Maybe you can test knit!

Quit my job and knit all day

I really should marry rich. My current boyfriend agrees with me as well. He wishes he could marry rich. Shame we've fallen for each other. He dreams of opening a coffee cafe, with sandwiches and soups and coffee late while pubs are open to give an option for those who want to socialise somewhere a bit different.

I want to run a knitting shop, offering lessons and such a variety of yarns it would make your mind boggle. Or just stay home and knit all day while a maid cleans the house and I laze about watching movies (I dont really like daytime tv) and knitting, knitting, knitting.

Back to reality I have done some selfish and some non-selfish knittings and finished many'o'projects. It is funny that the two for me are the same colour. I had started the fingerless (as previous blog) and then got the yarn for the full mittens for Christmas.

S

Bella's Mittens - Pattern free on Ravelry. The yarn used is Rowan Cocoon in Seascape. Its a wonderful colour and does make you think of the deep dark sea. The pattern is quite fitted on the hand so I used a slightly bigger needle. If you want more info you can find me on ravelry under Sheenaknitsuk. :) 

Autumnal Mittens for the boss - Pattern also free on Ravelry. She received a pair for Christmas, and now has asked for this colour and a dark brown, but I haven't been able to find a nice dark brown at this time of year in a yarn that I like... I'll keep looking. She might get them next year instead!

Autumnal Mittens in Alpaca, for me. These mittens in this yarn is irresistible. Get any baby alpaca yarn, DK, in the colour of your choice and go on Ravelry, get this pattern and knit away. Seriously. If you do anything in 2012 knitting related it should be this. Easy, fast and soooooo scrummy. These were meant to go into my Etsy shop and I love them too much to bear to part with them. That's how wonderful they are. 

I got this yarn for 5 pounds and it's the King Cole Alpaca one. If you're in the UK you can buy this yarn from Modern Knitting online. I use them a lot as they seem to be cheaper than other online shops and have a good selection.