Friday 27 September 2013

FO Friday...........Hierro Mittens.









Good morning, as you are reading this I'm hopefully lying on the beach, enjoying the last couple of days of my holiday.



These are the Hierro Mittens, which I have knit for Paige but I've also got to knit Jodie a pair and another pair for a Christmas gift.



The pattern is another one from Pom Pom Quarterly magazine, as you can see I'm really getting my moneys worth from this great magazine. I love the detail and texture of this slip stitch and bobble pattern, I used Drops Lima, a wool/alpaca mix, so nice and warm for the winter.

Check out more FO's over on Tami's blog

Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend and I will catch up with your blogs when I get back home, I've only got my iPhone and have limited internet access.
xxxxxDebxxxx

Wednesday 25 September 2013

WIP.........holiday knitting.






Good morning, as you are reading this I'll be in Spain, having a very welcome week away, relaxing and enjoying some sunshine. I'm writing this on my iPhone using the Blog Press app which I've never been very successful with so if the layout looks all wrong, I apologise and will sort it out when, I'm back home.
I don't do much knitting on holiday, I tend to read more but I did pack some yarn and needles to work on some plain Vanilla socks with a slip stitched heel, if I fancied doing some.
I'm using Regia 4ply sock yarn, which I've never used before, it's machine washable with a 10 year guarantee, the colour is Papillion. It's not as soft as most yarns I use but the colours are pretty and it's hard wearing, it will probably soften up after washing, too.
I'm taking part in the Yarn Along, hosted by Ginny, where you get to share the book you are reading and your knitting projects.

My holiday read is an 881 page blockbuster by Penny Vincenzi called An Absolute Scandal, the Daily Telegraph wrote  'Highly addictive. Don't even think of opening unless you've got a lazy week to fill', perfect as I do have a lazy week off.
I love what the Daily Express wrote on the back, what a great analogy.

Penny Vincenzi is:


"Like a glass of champagne: bubbly, moreish and you don't want it to end"




Also check out other works in progress on WIP Wednesday, over on Tami's blog.



Enjoy the rest of the week.
xxxxDebxxxx

Friday 20 September 2013

FO Friday.........Ardvasar Hat



Good morning, I'm back to show you my Ardvasar hat, all finished, Jodie loved the one I made for her and so did I, so this one's for me.


I used a 100g skein of Malabrigo Rios in Sandbank, it's beautifully soft and as you can see the colour isn't flat, it has a sort of marl effect with different tones of beige.


The pattern is from Pom Pom Quarterly magazine Issue 6, I've got one more to knit, this time as a Christmas gift. Jodie has asked though if I'll knit her some more hats, so you'll be seeing some different patterns on here, soon.


I've also made another drawstring project bag, this time in a pretty floral fabric from my stash.


I've also lined the inside in floral, if you'd like to see more Finished Objects, pop over to Tami's blog for FO Friday.


Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend.
xxxxDebxxxx

Wednesday 18 September 2013

Works in Progress..........Hierro Mittens.



I'm back today with my regular Work in Progress, sharing with you what's on my needles. I'm knitting my first pair of mittens, I've crocheted a pair of arm warmers before but never mitts or gloves with fingers/thumbs.


I'm knitting these Hierro mittens by Kelly Ashfield, this pattern is another one from Pom Pom Quarterly, Issue 6, I love the stitch definition with the cable and bobble combination.


These are for Paige, when they're finished, I'm using Drops Lima in a wool/alpaca mix, as you can see it's a pretty grey which has a slight marl effect to it. I've had to go down a needle size from the pattern so I'm using 3.5mm.


The other project I'm working on is my Ardvasar hat, I'm on the home run now and well into the decreasing, I'll definitely have a FO to show you on Friday. As usual I'll be joining in with Ginny's, Yarn Along and I'm three quarters of the way through The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil.


I've got to say, I'm thoroughly enjoying it, it's an easy  read, nothing deep, just a quick to read, chick lit. I love the fact that she mentions yarn brands like Rowan and the knitting show at Alexander Palace, it would of been good if she had shared the shawl pattern that is talks about in the book, like Debbie Macomber does in her Blossom Street series. Check out what others are knitting and reading this week, here.

Don't forget to check everybody's WIP's over on Tami's blog, too.

Happy Knitting
xxxxDebxxxx

Tuesday 17 September 2013

Beanie-A-Long............with Knitspiring Odyssey.



Good morning, my friends, it's official, Stephanie from Knitspiring Odyssey is doing her first knit-a-long. After mentioning it in one of her posts, a few people showed an interest in joining in, including myself. Stephanie has put a Mr. Linky up so everyone can join in and show what hats or beanies that you are knitting/crocheting, you can find it here.

She is hoping to post most Tuesdays, everyone can set their own personal goal, like Stephanie wants to get five beanies finished through the year. I don't have  a goal, if I see a hat pattern I like, I'll cast on, there's no pressure to finish on a certain date, it's all down to what you want. It's called Beanie-a-long with Me, BALWM, it can be knited or crocheted, just link up what your working on. Stephanie was very nervous about putting herself out there, so it would be lovely if you could support her, I know she would really appreciate it.


I've started another Ardvasar by Lucy Hague, I'm knitting this one for myself, I'm using Malabrigo Rios in Sandbank. It's a pure merino superwash, it's lovely to knit with, it feels warm and soft and also has the squish factor.


I really love this pattern and will be making some for Christmas gifts, because it's an Aran weight, they knit up quite quickly. The Celtic Cables look quite intricate but are surprisingly easy to do, if you can cable you can definitely do this.

That's it for me, I hope you can pop over to Stephanie's blog and say hello or even better join in, the more the merrier.

Thanks for stopping by.
xxxxDebxxxx



Monday 16 September 2013

A Day Out at Harry Potter Studio Tour.



Hello there, I hope you all had a good weekend, can you guess where we went???? Yes, on Saturday we went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour, London, we had bought Paige tickets for her 18th birthday, back in July.

Paige is a massive HP fan, she watches the films and reads the books over and over again, another big fan is my friend, Kerry, so it went without saying that I would ask her if she wanted to come with us!!!! I have never read the books and have only seen the first film, so I was the tag along.



We decided to catch the train down there, it was only an hour on the train and so much easier than driving. Even though Paige's birthday was a couple of months ago, we treated it as a birthday celebration, Kerry packed us a yummy breakfast picnic. We had Bucks Fizz, smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels, Danish pastries and Paige had her sausage butty.


Once we arrived, there was a courtesy bus to the studio, everything was so effortless. We actually arrived an hour before our time slot but we asked if we could go through early, which they were absolutely fine with. In fact, all the staff were so nice and helpful, nothing was too much trouble. We asked if we could have a HP passport so we could have them stamped in each area. They are only for children, normally but as soon as they knew it was Paige's birthday gift, they brought us one each and a "Happy Birthday" badge for her and every member of stall wished her a Happy Birthday, when they saw her badge.

Diagon Alley
Seeing if Harry Potter is at home.

Ron Weasley's bed at Howarts, look at his sweet hand knitted blanket.

Drinking Butter Beer, I was the only one who liked it.

We had to have a couple of fun photo's taken.


When I walked into the Model Room, it took my breath away, there was a 360' view of a hand sculpted 1:24 scale of Hogwarts, it was amazing and blew me away. We had such a fantastic day, I didn't realise the work that goes init making a film, down to all the tiny details. I'm a Harry Potter convert and can't wait to watch the films and read the book, now. I would highly recommend going, we are hoping to go back nearer Christmas to see Hogwarts in the Snow.

Have a great week.
Deb x


Friday 13 September 2013

FO Friday..........patterns from Pom Pom Quarterly.



I'm back with two FO's today, they were both extremely quick knits and are patterns from issue 6 of  Pom Pom Quarterly magazine. They are perfect for Autumn, which has suddenly arrived here in the UK, not that I'm moaning, I love our seasons.


I had heard about this magazine before  but it wasn't until I saw a post by Mel from Single Handed Knits, that really made me want to purchase it. Issue 6 has eight beautiful, autumnal knits and I plan to knit the majority of them, all the patterns are fashionable, up to date and wearable. They deliver worldwide but if you don't want to pay shipping, there is a digital download, too.


It arrives like this, wrapped in tissue paper, with a hand written message, it's all the little touches, that I love!!!! I was so impressed with this magazine, I back-ordered issue 5, which also didn't disappoint and have now subscribed to future issues. I think what actually sold it to me was, as well as receiving a copy, printed on good quality paper with great photography, patterns, how-to's and articles you also get a unique Ravelry code to download  into your library. What a great idea, I've also stored it in my iBooks, so I now have access to it at all times.


The first project I started was the Ardvasar hat which I wanted to knit for Jodie, she's sold her car so has to walk to work. She loves hats and this Aran knit will keep her toasty through the winter months, I knitted it in Drops Nepal from my stash, which is a wool/alpaca blend. I love how this pattern has knit up using this wool, it gives a nice firm fabric but still has drape at the back.


I started it last Friday and it was finished by the Sunday evening, that did include two hour car knitting, when we went to Bicester. I added a couple of extra rows before decreasing to give it more drape. I always thought hats didn't suit me but I really like this one so I've started to knit myself one.

Another thing I would like to say about this magazine is their tutorials, they are very well written. This hat uses Kitchener, which for some reason, I have always struggled with, even after watching video's, so up until now, I have avoided it but the way it was written in the pattern, I got it, straight away,
something just clicked in place.

Next up is the Ammolite cowl, which I have knit as a thank you to Jo, who sent me the HP Knits magazine, another quick knit which took me a couple of days. I knit this in Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk Aran, it's so soft and drapes beautifully around the neck.


It is another cable pattern and after reading a recent post on Sarah's blog, Crafts from the Cwtch, cables are very on trend, and this issue is full of texture and cables.



When you look at this pattern, it looks like a forest full of intertwining trees. I'm not sure whether you are seeing the true colour, on my iPad it looks correct, the colour of the yarn is Chicory, a light green but on my PC, it looks a straw colour.

Both of these patterns would make great Christmas gifts but before I start knitting them as gifts, I've bought some new yarn to knit myself them, first.


The beige one is Malabrigo Rios in Sand Bank and is a pure merino superwash, I've started the hat in this yarn. The rusty/rose colour, which is perfect for Autumn is Dream in Colour, Classy in Rosalita, they have a beautiful selection of colours in this range. This is also a superwash merino and are both Aran weight. I bought them from Tangled Yarn, a UK shop, they have some beautiful yarns and their service is second to none, with very quick delivery, they also sell Pom Pom Quarterly.


The next project, after my hat, I will knit these Hierro Mittens, for Paige, aren't they gorgeous, Jodie will also get a pair to match her hat. I feel as though I've had my money's worth from this magazine, normally I will only knit one, maybe two projects from other magazines, I've already done two from Pom Pom and plan on doing more plus I'll be repeating the patterns, which I've never done before.

Check out Tami's blog for more Finished Objects.


As I was looking through my favourite blogs, I saw that Stephanie from Knitspiring Odyssey, was having her own personal Beanie-a-Long, her goal is to finish five beanies through the year, she is inviting others to join in the fun.I think this is a great idea, so I'll be joining in, if you're interested in joining her, leave her a comment, here and she'll set up a link. She has even designed this fabulous logo for the occasion.




Thanks for stopping by, I hope you all have a great weekend. I'm off to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London, tomorrow, this was one of Paige's 18th birthday presents and she has been really looking forward to this day.

xxxxDebxxxx

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Works in Progress.........A Quick Knitted Gift.



Good morning, I've got two projects that I'm working on this week. One is my Pipers Journey by Paula Emons-Fueselle, that I'm doing with the Singlehanded Knits - Buddy Knit Together, the other project is the Ammolite by Alexa Ludeman which is a really quick knit.


I'm now up to 225 stitches on my Pipers Journey and have joined my second colour, I joined it at 207 stitches on the second row of the pattern.


I chose to join it on the wrong side as I like the look of the look of the two colours intertwining, here is a close up of how the two colours look, together. 


Next up is the Ammolite cowl which I started yesterday evening, I'm knitting it in Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk Aran so it's knitting up really quick plus it's an easy pattern to memorise.


I will finish this by tonight, these would make great Christmas gifts as they are really quick to finish. The pattern is from issue 6 of Pom Pom Magazine, I've also finished another pattern from this magazine which I will talk about on Friday.

I finished Inferno by Dan Brown, last night, it was good but I didn't enjoy it as much as his first books, tonight I will be starting The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil. It's set in a seaside wool shop in the UK, I'm really looking forward to reading this, seaside, knitting and a wool shop, that's a winning combination.

I'll be linking this post to Ginny's Yarn Along where, each week, you can share your knitting projects and good reads.


I'm also linking to Tami's blog for Work in Progress Wednesday so check out both blogs as there are always some fab projects. I actually first saw this book on somebody's Yarn Along post, so it's great for picking up new reading material.


I just wanted to share this photo, we went to Bicester Shopping Village on Sunday, their Autumn theme is knitting and yarn.


There were giant size needles and yarns everywhere, there are even handknitted cushions on the benches, great fun.

Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate the time you take out of your day to read my posts, have a good week.

xxxxDebxxx

The Handmade Sock Society 3 by Helen Stewart

Hello there, I just wanted to let you all know that Season 3 of  The Handmade Sock Society  is available for pre-sale  here  with an Ea...