#HandmadeMonday - at last, I've finished knitting something!

 

Now, I have turned into my Grandma. No bad thing, really: but, I did feel rather *old* as  I realised I was working out how to make a teddy bear's jumper on a Saturday afternoon ... clearly, I need to get out more.  Still, my nephew wanted "a little black bear" for his birthday. We managed to find the bear above during a day's shopping in Norwich, but he was a wearing a torn red hoodie and, well, that just wouldn't do! I can't claim this pattern for my own: it's adapted in minor ways from Tracy Chapman's book, Toys to Knit.

 

 

The jumper she designed was a little smaller, so I just used some bits of DK I had in my knitting bag (plus a teeny bit extra from Jarrolds haberdashery - can't resist!) and followed the tension on the wool band. It all worked out well; I didn't do separate sleeves but just slip-stitched the neck seams together a little, then picked up stitches for little cuff sleeves. This book had some beautiful patterns - most of all, a great knitted doll which I rather sadly want for myself. Still, I was pleased with the jumper and so was my nephew - it was his birthday this weekend. Now, back to the rather more time-consuming work of an adult-sized jumper!

Busy, Busy: A Trip to Norwich's Newest Place to Buy Wool, Crafty Ewe

 

A trip to Norwich began with a peppermint tea in Biddy's tearoom, in the Norwich Lanes: http://www.biddystearoom.com/

 

This tea room is vintage heaven: tea sets, tea pots and cosy old furniture. Even though this was a busy, busy shopping day, the tea room was warm and quiet, and I had a great catch-up with a lovely friend there. I noticed that, had I been there on a Tuesday, I could have knitted, too! Mind you, my Inner Pedant was really tempted to add the other 't' in 'Stitch' with my lippy...but I managed to restrain myself!

 

Then, an exploratory trip to Norwich's new, independent wool shop, Crafty Ewe, which opened this summer:

 

 

Norwich is quite well served for wool already, with selections in Jarrolds and John Lewis, but despite this, Crafty Ewe really does seem to offer something different. The sales assistant told me they'd decided not to stock Debbie Bliss or Rowan, because these are well stocked elsewhere. Instead, they wanted to offer something 'a bit different.' I wondered what else there could be - but then I started rootling around the shop. For a start, they had a range of wools I'd never seen before, by Australian designer Jo Sharp: http://www.josharp.com/ These wools were lovely and luxurious - a bit like Rowan, in fact - and in gorgeous, autumnal shades. Some good patterns, too. However, I am trying to buy British wool - and when I mentioned this, the assistant showed me some *lovely* yarns by John Arbon Textiles, based in Devon: http://www.jarbon.com/ Yippee: these were *gorgeous*. Beautiful colours and a rich, true-wool texture. The shop had a very good range of tempting colours (though my photo didn't do them justice at all - so haven't included it!) and they can order in more shades. If I needed more (more!?) wool, this is exactly what I'd buy. John Arbon are responsible for the Excelana range of yarns as well as Knit By Numbers. Crafty Ewe told me that the Knit By Numbers yarns come in a skein bcause it's cheaper for the customer this way - it's cheaper not to have the yarn balled. Brilliant: making a ball from a skein takes me back to sitting with my Grandma (a great knitter) with my arms out, holding a skein of wool she had steamed loose after unpicking it from something else ... A pleasure.

 

 

Looking at this picture, there is definitely a 2012 LYS look - the white shelves, the flat patties of expensive yarn ... but, hey, it works! I really need a new project so that I can go back here and buy some lovely British wool. Now, I'm sure I've got time for a quick Ravelry pattern-search before Skyfall....

 

A British Wool Week Trip to Cafe Knit, Lavenham. Oh, and a Chunky Snood #FO!

 

Lovely jaunt through the Suffolk countryside today, along beautiful autumnal country roads to Cafe Knit. Somehow, courtesy of HeartFM, this journey was set to an 80s/90s sound track of the Pet Shop Boys, Simply Red and Tina Turner: not my usual choice, but I was singing at the top of my voice as I hurtled along.

Cafe Knit never disappoints: a lovely cappuccino with good conversation from a friend and the other customers. We had a good rummage around the Debbie Bliss yarns and looked at Louisa Harding's hat patterns - I really want to make one these, and what a good cause:

http://www.louisaharding.co.uk/macmillan/

Indecision prevented me from buying wool today, but I will be making the pompom hat soon . . . or the green heart cable one . ... or the beret-style green one . . .

I did buy a great shawl pin for my Sarah Hatton jacket: picture of this to follow. This means the jacket is finally wearable - a genuine FO!

Oh, and Louvera The Sheep is outside the cafe to celebrate British Wool Week!

 

In other FO news, I made this snood for my sister's birthday last week:

 

 

It is a version of the hugely-popular Gap-Tastic Cowl by Jen Geighley over at Ravelry. It's a lovely dark teal colour - not as navy as it looks here. She was very pleased with it (or very polite!) so I hope she enjoys wearing it!  Still, what with that and the crochet snowflakes for the Workwise shop, I'm rather behind on my Lady Friend's jumper... better get to it!

 

Handmade Monday: Crochet Christmas Snowflake Pattern - Surely It's Not Too Early?

 

So, as promised on my earlier post: here is how to make a crochet snowflake, like the one shown above.

 

Crochet snowflake pattern

Easy-peasy .... really!

 

I used DMC Natura Just Cotton, in Colour Ibiza and a 2.5 mm crochet hook.

 

 

Base chain: 6 chain, join with a slip stitch.

Round  1: 1 chain  [1 double crochet into ring, 3 chain]12 times. Slip stitch to join end to first double crochet (dc) stitch. You are making a row of DC plus 3 chain. This will be quite a tight fit. See picture below.

 

 

 

Round 2: Slip stitch into top of the two chain from previous round, then 1 ch, 1 dc into 3 chain arch from previous row [3 ch, 1 dc into next 3 chain arch] 11 times, then 1 ch then 1 half treble into top of first double crochet. In this row, you are making arches all the way round the star. See the picture below.

 

 

Row 3: [6 chain, 1 dc into next 3 chain arch, 3 chain, 1 dc into next 3 chain arch] 4 times, then 6 chain and 1 dc into next 3 chain arch. 1 chain, I treble into half treble from previous round to close. Essentially, you alternate making arches of 6 chain and 3 chain round the star, into the 3 chain arches you made in row 2. Picture below of star with rows 1-3 complete.

 

 

Row 4: 1 half treble, 4 trebles, 2 chain, 4 trebles, 1 half treble into 6 chain arch, 1 dc into 3 chain arch. Repeat around the star and close row with a slip stitch. The groups of trebles and half trebles fill out the points of the star, while the double crochets anchor the points. See the picture of this last row in progress below.

 

 

Ta-dah! Now hand it proudly on your tree - or make lots, and tie them into bunting. Please don't make commerically - please don't sell the pattern or the snowflakes.

 

More Vintage Pattern Goodness!

 

Another quick installment as I have another charity shop success story! Now, I'm probably *not* going to make the 'sweaters' on the cover - but some of the ones inside are good, and could be tweaked a little to resemble some in shops at the moment. I want to develop a crochet jumper pattern so I'm hoping this book will help me out. I should be delivering snowflakes... but am just too tired! Somehow this week has been exhausting. Still, am making a stiff cup of coffee and preparing to continue knitting my sister's birthday present!

Hooray For Vintage Knitting Patterns - Yes, I *Am* Seriously Considering Knitting These...

Cue the Loose Knits captions....

 

 

I'm always so envious of other people's casually picked up charity shop finds - so I am rather pleased with these two patterns that, with a bit of 21st century tweaking, I could actually use. This cardigan pattern is from 1983 and is knitted in Patons Brushed Chunky. Apparently, even the pattern is printed in the UK. Not sure that they do that now!  OK, so the green cardigan looks a touch severe, but I think the yellow one could be a nice beach-walking jacket - if it was in a heathery, tweedy chunky yarn ..... Clearly, I need more wool! I'm sure Princess Diana had one of each...

 

 

Ah - whatever happened to Patons Kismet? In fact, whatever was it?! It sounds a bizarre name for a wool which, somehow, has not stood the test of time - ironically, as Google tells me kismet is Turkish for Destiny or Fate....However, this tank top might be just the thing. I need to find out, though, what weight the Kismet was. According to the pattern (from 1975! I had only just been born!) it "gives a soft feminine look" (I could really do with that :)) and the range "includes random shades" - how did that happen?!

 

All this vintage knitting-based excitement for 30p!

 

Nothing like #FO Friday - A few crochet snowflakes...

 

So, this is what I've been doing recently - making Christmas decorations. The pattern will follow - now I've done six of them, I think I've got it sorted out! I'm sure it counts as a #FO, even if only one is technically finished (all those ends....!).

 

These are made with more DMC Natura cotton - I love this stuff. It's the same as the cotton I used for the crochet collars in my earlier posts. It's not too shiny, and isn't so fine that it's fiddly. These work up quite quickly; I think I made three during Downton Abbey ;)

 

Oh - and a couple of pictures from the fantastic 1940s weekend in Sheringham, North Norfolk, earlier this month. Creative Crafts, Sheringham's wool shop, had a fabulous themed window, in which my mother recognised various styles of outfits she had worn as a child! Sadly no knitted swimsuits (yes, she wore one of those) were on display, but there were plenty of 1940s patterns to see:

 

 

She pointed out that she still has the Crochet Stitches booklet you can just see in the bottom right hand corner here  - though sadly no patterns like these, for Fair Isle berets. Mum remembers having one my Grandma had knitted her, but sadly the patterns are long gone. We both loved the vintage-style jumper you can just see in this shot:

 

 

Now, I'm aiming for ten snowflakes, so must get back to it  . . . .