#WIP Wednesday - simple crochet blanket - & a knitted mug

 

This is a treat for myself - like I need one, after Christmas! - a Fair Isle mug, from Blacks. Not my usual shop of choice, but I spyed it from afar. In the sale, too! Hurrah! It's actually huge - I had to peer down into it to see my coffee - but I love it.

 

Today's WIP: a simple crochet baby blanket, for a friend whose baby is due on, er, 25th January! I am making this up, so pattern will follow. I had a yarn emergency at the weekend, as I left my other WIP (a Louisa Harding Himalayan hiking hat) at my parents' house and only realised when I got home - tragedy! Still, I popped out to a trusty charity shop and bought two crochet hooks (which I bleached throughly - should I admit to that?!) and then bought the yarn for the blanket and got going.

 

 

Finally - it's always good to see a knitting-themed display - and this one is in Holt Library, North Norfolk, to launch their Monday Knit & Natter (clearly a more sedate occurrence than our Stitch & Bitch!) I really want to read Rachael Herron's A Life in Stitches (left hand side of the display) as I've made one of her patterns for a friend and I read her blog, about her writing, knitting and life with her girlfriend. In the corner of this picture is a book I actually got for Christmas - Claire Montgomerie's Knitting Vintage. I'm sure I will write more about this last, once I get the blanket...and hat... done!

 

So, that's how my 2013 has begun. Hope yours has got off to a similarly good start.

 

Happy New Year!

 

 

 

Queen of the Knitted Hottie?

There's Fair Isle Knitting everywhere, due to The Killing. There's also quite a lot written about the origins of the patterns. I don't think I'm up to knitting a Fair Isle jumper, but I wanted to try this kind of pattern. It turns out to be easier than I thought: you just knit the stitch in the colour you want, making a chart on squared paper for the contrast pattern. There are numerous charts and hottie patterns on Ravelry and a great one in Jenny Lord's Purls of Wisdom too, so I just picked one and changed the main pattern to stocking stitch. The wool is Sirdar Click Aran - a lovely cornflower blue and plain cream. This star is knitted through 11 stitches over 11 rows and I arranged them by eye - though I have jotted down their position in case I want to knit another one!